"Anyway, you have to explain the reason first so Chisa can decide!"
Wagging her finger, Azusa Hamaoka said in a tone that suggested they were beyond teaching, "If you have a reason for this, Chisa definitely won't just stand by and watch, right?"
"..."
Sweat broke out on their faces. Iori Kitahara and Kōhei Imamura felt that Azusa-senpai's advice was sound, but they wanted to trick Chisa into participating in the beauty pageant so they wouldn't have to participate in the "Handsome Men."
If they said that out loud, Chisa would probably kill them!
Noticing that the atmosphere had suddenly become a bit awkward, Azusa Hamaoka looked at Iori in disbelief and said with a troubled expression, "Ugh... you guys don't have a reason, do you?"
"Ah! Uh, because if Chisa participates, she'll definitely win the prize money..."
"And that way, we won't have to participate in the 'Handsome Men'..."
"Of course! The main thing is to let more people see Chisa's beauty! Yes, that's exactly it!"
His eyes suddenly sharpened, sensing that there might still be a chance.
Miyazawa Yu's physique immediately expanded after he took off his jacket. He then easily covered Kohei's mouth, which had almost revealed their true intention, and managed to salvage the reason.
However, this explanation was full of holes and couldn't even fool Chisa, let alone the cunning Azusa Hamaoka.
"Oh~ Is that so?"
Azusa Hamaoka was initially just surprised by the sheer audacity of the three of them.
But soon, she narrowed her eyes and revealed a sly, cat-like grin.
"I see now— what should we do, little Chisa?"
"I'd rather die than go!"
Turning her head away, Chisa Kotegawa had no intention of being embarrassed on Iori's behalf!
"Ugh... I knew this would happen."
"Don't be a backseat driver, Yu."
"Seriously! Then why did you ask me in the first place!"
Chisa huffed, glaring at the three scoundrels who had a 'I knew it' look on their faces. She didn't want to get angry at them and turned back to the griddle to continue learning how to make okonomiyaki.
...
"I see? So you failed."
In the evening, Grand Blue was bustling with life. Tokita Shinji downed a large mug of beer and waved his hand, comforting them, "Don't be discouraged. That's normal."
"How can I not be discouraged? We had no chance from the very beginning, and we spent the whole morning running around like chickens with our heads cut off."
Miyazawa Yu lay on the table, feeling depressed. He had prepared for Chisa's refusal.
What really bothered him was that even in the end, he hadn't managed to get Azusa Hamaoka to reveal the methods for getting Nanaka-senpai drunk.
Instead, his rival had recorded his perverted request, which was like handing over his little bird to her!
"It's so annoying. By the way, senpai, who participated from your year?"
"Hmm? Our year?"
Ryūjirō Kotobuki was playing a finger-guessing game with someone, holding a mug of draft beer. Hearing the question, he pointed to the calm and peaceful girls on the sofa.
"Azusa participated in the women's category."
"Ah~ Although she's a bit of a meanie, she's a beautiful person!"
Miyazawa Yu lifted his head half-heartedly and looked at the carefree Azusa Hamaoka. Although he didn't want to say anything discouraging, she really was a great senpai.
She had a top-notch appearance, was an interesting conversationalist, and had a more outgoing, boyish personality.
Oh no, thinking about it like this, my chances seem to be getting lower and lower. What do I have that's better than Azusa Hamaoka?
...His gaze moved downward.
No, no, no! I don't need to win in that area, and it's too perverted.
"Ah, but Azusa was eliminated in the preliminary round!"
"Eh? Why? Was there a fix?"
"Don't worry, there's nothing like that here. I remember it was because she forgot to bring her swimsuit, so she participated in her underwear, and that's why she was disqualified."
Tokita Shinji shook his head, indicating that no shady business existed at Izu University. He carefully recalled the spectacular scene back then, thinking that the judging committee was probably scared out of their wits...
"Pfft!"
Miyazawa Yu spat out the beer in his mouth, his mind picturing the scene as he exclaimed in confusion.
"That's impressive. Does she have no shame?"
"That's just the kind of person she is. You'll understand once you get to know her. Azusa is actually easy to get along with!"
"Is that so?"
Recalling the cold smile on Azusa Hamaoka's face when she pulled out her secretly recording phone, Miyazawa Yu felt a great deal of pressure.
But there was no use worrying about these things now. More importantly...
"Yaooo~ Wuwuwu!"
Stepping onto the table and tearing off the last of his clothes, a stark-naked muscular man swaggered around with his 'big gun' in the air. The Pab club's daily activity—strip rock-paper-scissors—was officially on!
"That's a hot strip!!"
"If you lose again, you have to spread your legs into an M-shape!"
"Hahahahaha—"
Cheering from the sidelines, Miyazawa Yu's worries all disappeared after drinking a few more mugs of beer. All that was left was endless revelry!
"Seriously, it's just like usual..."
Sipping her beer, Chisa Kotegawa felt her eyes were going to bleed.
Why did these guys have a drinking party every day and still look like they couldn't get enough? Couldn't they occasionally play a normal game of rock-paper-scissors?
"Mhm, that's the best kind of atmosphere~"
Unlike Chisa, Azusa Hamaoka was smiling, clearly enjoying the free-spirited environment.
"Alright!"
She stood up and walked toward the party, which was already in full swing. She left the two behind her with a wave, "I'll go join in too~"
"...Go ahead."
"Azusa really loves those kinds of activities."
They didn't try to stop her at all. The Kotegawa sisters were very familiar with Azusa Hamaoka. They both knew her wild personality and her incredibly thick skin.
"Count— me in!"
"Oh, okay— Eh, eh, eh!"
Hearing someone behind him wanting to join the fight, Miyazawa Yu, who had just defeated a senior, immediately turned around, wanting to see who dared to challenge the invincible King of the Crystal Palace!
But when he saw Azusa Hamaoka, he was completely shocked. He quickly backed away and blocked her path.
"Azusa-senpai, we're playing strip rock-paper-scissors where you have to take off your clothes! If you want to play, go find Nanaka-"
Even though she was a rival, Miyazawa Yuu had some basic morals. At least he wouldn't do something like trick a woman he knew into playing stripping basketball!
"Huh? Yu, are you saying you're going to give Nanaka to me?"
Unexpectedly, this junior and rival, whom he'd tricked twice, actually cared about him. Azusa's eyes immediately turned amusement-filled.
"Gu...! Azusa-senpai is really good at climbing the ladder, but I won't be fooled! I'm definitely pursuing Nanaka-san!"
"Oh my! What a bold statement! Did you hear that, Nana? wuwuwu..."
She was halfway through her sentence when she was dragged aside, his hand covering her mouth.
Looking at the visible panic and confusion on Miyazawa Yu face, his helpless expression on the verge of tears,
Azusa couldn't help but laugh, and she fell to her knees, clapping her hands over her mouth. After a long moment, she trembled and straightened up, pointing at Miyazawa Yuu and looking at Tokita Shinji. "Toki, Tobi, this kid is so interesting! I think I'm starting to like him!"
"Indeed, this class of newcomers is quite unique!"
"I'm glad you like him, but Azusa, don't be so mean. It'll be a blow to Yuu."
Having a vague idea of Hamaoka Azusa's true feelings, Tokita Shinji and Ryujiro could only offer their most sincere prayers to Miyazawa Yuu.
After all, in a relationship war, they really had no business intervening.
"Damn it! That's too much!"
Tears streamed from his eyes. He hadn't expected his momentary concern to be met with ridicule.
Miyazawa Yu in grew increasingly furious. He slammed the table, his face grim, and struck the classic JoJo stance, declaring war on Hamaoka Azusa. "I want to challenge you to a baseball fight! The clothes on my body!"
"Oh, right? Of course I have to take them off if I lose, it's just baseball, after all. But..."
Grinning, Hamaoka Azusa clung to her waist, feigning shyness and winking at Miyazawa Yuu.
"No matter what, I won't get all zeros, you know. You're still a girl, after all!"
"Uh..."
After a pause, Miyazawa Yuu anger subsided.
Yes, after all, Azusa-senpai is a girl, too. It's immature of me to challenge her to a stripping baseball fight or something like that...
Thinking this way, he was about to suggest a different bet when Hamaoka Azusa added, "But I have some OK bandages on inside, so it's totally fine."
"...Really?"
Teasing him again!!!
Eyes swirling with anger, Miyazawa Yu cracked his knuckles, a terrifying, utterly benign smile flickering across his face. "If that's the case, then I won't hold back!"
"Please let me come!"
"Heh, how could Iori be the one to take the spotlight when it comes to helping a brother?"
Standing in front of Miyazawa Yuu, Kitahara Iori and Imamura Kohei chuckled softly and blended into the battlefield with perfect naturalness.
As for these two scumbags' target, of course, was Azusa-senpai's OK-binding!